Special Collections

The Special Collections Room is located on the north end of the third floor. It is open during regular library hours and staff at the Ask Here desk can provide assistance. The Genealogy & Family History collection, Wyoming History Collection and the LeClercq Jones Collection are located in the room.

The Ronald W. and Linda G Sandefer Collection of Western History may be found in the Wyoming History Collection, Western History Collection and Trails Collection and are noted with a book plate in each volume.

Items in these collections do not check out; there is a photocopier in the room, and sometimes, a circulating copy is available.

Check out the brochure (right) for more information.

The LeClercq Jones Collection

Wyoming native and amateur historian LeClercq Jones donated his extensive Cheyenne research collection to the library upon his death. He preserved local history through hundreds of detailed photographs and drawings of Cheyenne buildings and intersections. Photographs included in the LeClercq Jones Collection can be found below. Copies are in binders available for anyone to use in the library. By appointment with the Special Collections Librarian, the original binders may be used for research.

Wyoming History

The Wyoming History Collection includes books and other materials on Cheyenne, Laramie County and Wyoming history. Within this collection, you will find local yearbooks and city directories, Wyoming brand books, histories of Wyoming communities, the Laramie County Centennial Committee’s historical records, a complete run of the Annals of Wyoming history journal, and many other subjects.

The collection is accessible through the library catalog. Titles included in the collection have call numbers that begin with WYO REF.

Special Collections Reading Room

The Special Collections Reading Room is inside the Special Collections Room. It features a gorgeous ornate door frame originally residing in the Federal Courthouse and donated to the library by the Dinneen family. Two tables from Cheyenne’s original Carnegie Library and stained glass from artist Nancy Furnish complete the elegant room.

The collections in the Special Collections Reading Room focus on Western History. Items in these collections do not check out, however, sometimes, a circulating copy is available.

Western History

The Western History Collection, funded by a generous gift of $25,000 from an anonymous donor, features books that focus on the history of the American West.

The Western History Collection is accessible through the library catalog. Titles included in the collection have call numbers that begin with WH REF.

Trails Collection

The majority of items in this collection come from Ronald W. and Linda G. Sandefer Collection of Western History through either donated funds or donated items. These materials explore the history of the overland trails that crossed the West. Topics include trails such as the Oregon, Santa Fe, California, and Mormon, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and other materials that relate to the overland trails.

The Trails Collection is accessible through the library catalog. Titles included in the collection have call numbers that begin with TRAILS REF.

Government Documents

Government documents may be found on the third floor just outside and to the left of the Special Collections room on tall shelves. Government documents include publications from city, county, state, and other entities. Topics cover law (statutes, ordinances), planning (transportation, parks, city development, drainage/flood protection), budgets, legislative records, environmental studies, statistics, and more. Staff at the Ask Here desk can provide assistance.